Tackers and the like stapling machines



y 1, 1965 M. ABRAMS 3,182,878

TACKERS AND THE LIKE STAPLING MACHINES Filed July 1, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIC.9

INVENTOR. IMF/{I5 ABHAMS May 11, 1965 M. ABRAMS 3,182,873

TA'CKERS AND THE LIKE STAPLING MACHINES Filed July 1, 1963 A 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Aid/IRIS ABRAMS H 5 BYZLMQMIQMJ United States Patent 3,182,878 TACKERS AND THE LIKE STAPLING MACHINES Morris Abrams, Great Neck, N.Y., assignor to Arrow Fastener Co., Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed July 1, 1963, Ser. No. 291,952 3 Claims. (Cl. 227-83) This invention relates to tackers and the like stapling machines.

An object of this invention is to provide a machine of the character described having highly improved means to turn the legs of a staple outwardly as the staple is driven for a clinching operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a machine -of the character described, having means to turn the legs of the staple outwardly as the staple is being driven, said means being arranged to allow the staple to bypass the anvil means as it is fully ejected, and to allow the anvil means to be automatically returned to operative position after the driving blade is retracted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a machine of the character described comprising a staple magazine having side walls curved outwardly at their lower ends thereby forming with curved surfaces of the anvil, curved passages for legs of a staple as the legs are turned outwardly for a clinching operation, and means to adjustably vary the positions of said side Walls, to vary the passages, for controlling the curvature of the staple legs during the clinching operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a-strong, rugged and durable machine of the character described which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which shall be smooth and positive in operation, easy to manipulate and which shall yet be practical and efficient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of invention will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown an illustrative embodiment of this invention,

'FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a clinching or stapling machine of the tacker type, embodying the invention, with parts broken away and in cross section, and showing the driving blade in full ejecting position;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial view similar to FIG. 1 and showing the driving blade fully retracted above the staple strip;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the front end of the staple guide or channel;

FIG. 6 is a bottomplan view thereof;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the front end of the staple magazine frame or body;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the sliding anvil; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a clinched staple.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates a staple or clinching machine of the tacker type, embodying the invention. 7 I

Said machine 10 comprises a housing 10a. Said housing 10a comprises a body 11, which may be substantially similar to the housing body described in US. Patent No. 2,671,215. Said body 11 comprises a pair, of similar, symmetrically disposed body parts 12 having meeting edges 14 along a longitudinal vertical plane through the middle of the body. The body is formed with a hand Patented May 11, 1965 hole 15. It is open at the bottom and at its front end. Each of the body parts 12 has a side wall 16 from which extends inwardly, curved portions 17 forming said hand hole. At the lower end of each of said side walls 16 is a longitudinal bottom edge 18. The side walls have rear ends 19. The upper portions of the rear ends of said side walls 16 and the top portions thereof are curved, as at 20, meeting along the meeting plane 14. Rearwardly of their forward ends, side walls 16 are formed with vertical, outwardly offset shoulders 21, from which extend forwardly, side walls 22 spaced further apart than said side walls 16.

The side walls 22 have forward edges 23. The shoulder 21 has an intermediate semi-circular shoulder portion 21a. At the axis of shoulder portions 21a, side walls 22 are formed with aligned through-openings 24. The wall portions 20 are upwardly curved as at 20a at their forward ends. Extending from the upper ends of walls 20a are forwardly and upwardly inclined edges 25 merging with a downwardly curved edge 26 from which extend downwardly and forwardly, inclined edges 27. The edges 27 extend down to the forward edges 23. Forward edges 23 are formed with longitudinal grooves 23a for the purpose hereinafter appearing. The side wall portions 22 are formed adjacent the curved edges 26 with aligned throughopenings 28.

Fitted over the front of the body is a front nose piece 32. Nose piece 32 may be made of hardened steel. It comprises a front wall 33 from which extend rearwardly parallel side walls or flanges 34.

The front wall 33 has a bottom edge 35 at the level of the bottom edge 18 of the body parts 12. v

The front wall 33 has a forwardly pressed substantially rectangular portion 38 for the purpose hereinafter appearing. Furthermore, said wall 33 is formed below the forwardly spaced portion 38 with a pair of parallel horizontally aligned vertical slots 39.

At the upper end of the front wall 33 is an upwardly, and rearwardly inclined wall 46 contacting the inclined edges 27 and extending about half way up said edges. Said side walls or flanges 34 contact the outer surfaces of the side walls 22 of the body. Side walls 34 are formed at their rear ends with rear edges 41 extending upwardly from the lower edges 36. The rear edges 41 extend substantially from the lower ends of the semi-circular shoulder portion 21a. Extending from edges 41 are edges 42 following the semi-circular shoulder portions 21a. Extending downwardly and forwardly of the semi-circular edges 42 are inclined edges 43. Extending upwardly from the front ends of edges 43 are vertical edges 45. Extending from the upper ends of edges 45 are rearwardly inclined edges 46 from which extend edges 47 located around and spaced from the openings 28. Edges 47 extend down to the upper ends of the front wall 33. The upper ends of the side walls 34 thus comprise cars 48 and they are formed with openings registering with the openings 28 in the side wall portion 22.

Extending through'the registering openings 28, is a shaft 50 riveted at its ends. The portion of the side walls 34 bounded by edges 42, 43 comprises ears 51 for-med with through openings registering with the openings 24 in the sidewall portions 22. Extending through registering openings 24-, is a bolt 53. It will now be understood that shaft 50 and bolt 53 serve to attach nose piece 32 to the front of the body.

Mounted on the body 11 is a bottom stop member 55.

' Said bottom stop member 55 is a metal plate and may be hardened. It is in horizontal position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

and overlying the same and made of either rubber, plastic or any other suitable material to absorb shocks.-

Mounted on and between wall portions 22 is a top stop 61. Top stop 61 is formed with a plurality of downwardly pressed lips 63 arranged in a circle, for the purpose hereinafter appearing. Top stop 61 is disposed above the bgttom stop 55 and its shock absorber 68.

Slidably mounted within the front of the body and between side walls 22 and adjacent the front wall of the nose piece 32, is a plunger member 65. The same comprises a plunger cup 66 made of a single sheet of metal, die cut and pressed to the shape shown in the drawing. The cup 66 has a front wall 67 from which extends rearwardly a bottom wall 68. Extending upwardly from the rear of wall 68 is a rear wall 69. Extending rearwardly from the front wall 67 are side walls 70. The side walls 70 are formed with rearwardly extending hooks 70a having upwardly and rearwardly inclined under edges 70b located substantially midway between the front and rear ends of said side walls.

It will be noted that the cup is open at its upper end. Inserted within the cup and contacting the bottom wall 68 is the lower end of a coil compression spring 72, the upper end of which contacts the underside of the top stop 61. The downwardly pressed lips 63 are received within the upper end of spring 72. Riveted to the front wall 67 as by rivets 73 is a driver blade 74 passing through registering slots in the bottom stop 55 and the shock absorber 60, respectively. The head of the rivet 73 may be moved through the recess formed by the forwardly pressed wall 38.

The drive blade has, at its upper ends, side extending wings 74a received within groove 23a. Said blade 74 also has a circular hole 74b receiving a forwardly pressed lug 67a on front wall 67 of cup 66. The compression spring 72 presses the plunger downwardly.

Within the bottom of body 11 is a staple magazine comprising a staple magazine body 76 to which is fixed a staple guide or channel 77. The magazine body 76 comprises parallel side walls 78 interconnected by a bottom wall 79. Extending inwardly from the upper ends of side walls 78 are coplanar flanges 80. Bottom wall 79 terminates at its front end in an edge 79a spaced rearwardly of the front ends of said side walls. Said side Walls 78 are notched upwardly as at 78a in front of edge 79a, forming wings 7817 between the front edges 780 of said side walls and said notches. The lower ends 78d of said wings 78b are curved downwardly and outwardly. At the front ends of walls 78 are a pair of parallel, vertical tongues 78e adapted to be received in the slots 39 in wall 33, with the front edges 78c contacting the inner surface of said wall, and thereby positioning the lower surface of bottom wall 79 in the plane of the lower edges 18 of side walls 16, 22 and lower edges 36 of side walls 34.

Said side walls 78 have at their rear ends, upwardly extending ears 81 through which extends a cross shaft 82 passing through suitable openings in side walls 16.

The staple guide 77 has a rear bottom wall 83 from which extend upwardly, side flanges 84. The bottom wall 83 is fixed to bottom wall 79 of the magazine body by rivets 85 passing through registering front and rear openings on said body and guide (only the front openings being shown). The side flanges 84 are spaced inwardly from side walls 78 sufficiently to allow legs 86 of a staple strip 87 to move therebetween. The upper edges 84a of the staple guide-are spaced below the flanges 80 sufficiently to allow passage of the crowns 88 of the staple strip 87. Side walls 84 have front edges 8412 which are spaced rearwardly of the front edges 78c by somewhat more than the thickness of a staple 87a of the staple strip 87.

Side walls 84 are also interconnected by a front bottom wall 90 disposed forwardly of and spaced from the rear bottom wall 83. Front bottom wall 90 has a forward edge 90a disposed rearwardly of front edges 84b.

The front lower corners of side walls 84 are notched or cut away, as at 84c, forming vertical edges 84d in the plane of edge a.

The front bottom wall 90 has a rear edge 90c spaced forwardly from the front edge 83a of rear bottom wall 83. Side walls 84 have cut away portions 840 at their lower ends, forming a rearwardly extending tongue 90d rearwardly of said rear edge 90c, and also vertical upwardly extending notches 84] at the front end of said tongue. At the lower ends of vertical notches 84 are rearwardly extending slots 84g having lower edges 84h. Edges 84h terminate short of edge 83:1 in downwardly extending shoulders 841, for the purpose hereinafter described.

Attached to the rear bottom wall 83 and bottom wall 79 by one of the front rivets 85, is a hold down member 92. Said member 92 comprises a rearwardly extending flat portion 92a overlying the front end of said rear bottom wall, an upwardly extending short intermediate shoulder portion 92b aligned with edge 83a and from the upper end of which extends forwardly a flat horizontal hold down tongue 92c parallel to and spaced above said wall 83 and overlying the space between edges 83d and 90c. Said member 92 is disposed between side walls or flanges 84 and tongue 920 is located somewhat above edges 84h.

Disposed within the staple guide or channel 77 and below tongue 92c and resting on the upper surface of bottom wall 79 and between edges 83d and 900, are a pair of coil compression springs 93 in side by side, coextensive relation.

Slidably mounted on the front bottom wall 90 of the staple guide for longitudinal, guided, limited sliding movement thereon, is a sliding anvil 95. Said anvil comprises a flat, elongated shank 95a provided at its rear end with a rear edge 95b and a pair of outwardly extending guide Wings 950. The Wings 950 engage below edges 84h. The rear edge 95b contacts the front ends of coil springs 93. At its front end, anvil 95 has a downwardly and forwardly curved portion 95d extending down below the underside of shank portion 95a, in a transverse edge 95c. Said curved portion 95d has outwardly extending wings 95 ,1 having downwardly, forwardly and outwardly curved end edges 95g. The lower edge 95e is in the plane of the underside of bottom wall 79 of the magazine body 76. The lower end of said portion 95d contacts the inner surface of wall 33 at its lower end when the drive blade is raised. The outwardly curved edges 95g are disposed in the plane of the foremost staple 87a of the staple strip 87, and below the lower ends of the legs of said staple and are spaced inwardly of the front ends of the lower outwardly curved wings 78d of the magazine. Hence, said curved edges 95g form, with said wings 78d, a pair of downwardly and outwardly extending passages for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

Any suitable, releasable means may be provided to raise the cup 65 and drive blade 74 to compress the actuating spring 72, whereby upon release of the cup, the blade will descend under pressure of the compressed spring, to force the foremost staple downwardly to cause the legs thereof to pass through the passages between edges 95g and wings 78a, to cause said legs to be curved or bent outwardly as shhown at 97 in FIG. 9, to clinch material. One such means is illustrated in the drawing and is also shown and described in said Patent No. 2,671,215.

To this end, there is pivoted on the shaft 50, a handle 185. Handle has a top wall 86 from which extend side flanges 187. Said flanges 187 are formed with through openings through which the shaft 50 passes. The said side flanges 187 fit over the side walls 34 of the front nose piece. The top wall 186 has a forwardly and downwardly inclined extension 189 contacting the inclined edges 27. The lower end of flange 189 substantially meets the upper end of flange 40. On shaft 50 and within the body is a torsion spring 191, one arm of which contacts the underside of the top wall of the handle and the other arm of which engages the back of top stop 61. Thus the torsion spring 191 tends to raise the handle.

Attached to the underside of the handle, rearwardly of the shaft 50, is a saddle 192 formed with a pair of downwardly extending apertured flanges 193 carrying a transverse pivot pin 194. Pivoted to the pivot pin 194 and disposed within the flanges 193 is a link 195. Link 195 has a pair of side walls 196 interconnected by a rear web 197. The lower ends of side walls 196 carry a transverse pivot pin 198. Side Walls 16 of the body members 11 are formed with aligned openings carrying a transverse pivot pin 200 disposed below and forwardly of the pivot pin 198.

Pivoted to the pivot pin 200 is a lever 201. Lever 201 comprises side flanges 202 interconnected by a bottom web 203. Side walls 202 have upwardly and rearwardly extending arms formed with openings through which the pivot pin 198 passes. Said side Walls 202 also have downwardly and forwardly inclined arms carrying a transverse pivot pin 205. Pivoted to the pivot pin 205 is the upper end of link 206. Link 206 has side walls 207 interconnected by front web 208. On the pivot pin 205 is a torsion spring 209 having one arm engaging the front edge of the web 203 and a second arm contacting the back of the web 208.. Thus torsion spring 209 tends to swing the link 206 forwardly.

The side walls 16 of the body members 11 are formed with aligned through-openings through which pass a transverse pivot pin 210. Pivoted on the pivot pin 210 is a trigger member 211. Trigger member 211 has side walls 212 interconnected by a bottom web 213. Side walls 212 are formed adjacent their rear ends with kidney shaped openings 214 through which pivot pin 210 passes. These kidney shaped openings 214 are somewhat elongated but have a notch 215 at their rear lower ends, for the purpose hereinafter appearing. The side walls 212 are in alignment with the side walls 70 of'the cup 66. Said side walls 212 have at their forward ends upwardly projecting pointed portions 216 engaging under edges 7% of the hook 70a. Said side walls 212 are formed with aligned through openings rearwardly of the pointed portions 216 carrying a transverse pivot pin 219. The lower ends of the side walls 207 of the links 206 are formed with apertures through which the pivot pin passes.

It will be noted that the torsion spring 209 normally tends to press the trigger 211 forwardly so that the pivot pin 210 is located at the rear end of the slots 214 and is engaged within the offset portions 215 of said slots.

When the handle 185 is in its normal up position and the plunger 65 rests on the shock absorber 60, the parts are in the position shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing. When it is desired to operate the device, the handle 185 is depressed causing the handle to swing downwardly about the shaft 50. Link 195 is then pushed downwardly to rotate the lever 201 in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 200 to raise the link 206 and thus swing the trigger 211 in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 210 to raise the plunger 65. As the plunger is raised, the pointed ends of the trigger slide upwardly and rearwardly along the under edges 70b of the hooks 70a. At a predetermined point in the vertical movement of the plunger, the pointed ends 216 move beyond the hooks and permit the compressed spring 72 to cause the plunger to descend and at the same time the driver blade will push out the foremost staple in the staple magazine. As the plunger descends the hook 70a will move down below the pointed ends 216. When the handle is released the trigger 211 will swing in a counterclockwise direction down with the upward movement of the handle.

The forward edges of the flanges 212 adjacent the pointed ends 216 are curved or cammed downwardly and rearwardly as at 217. As the cammed edges 217 contact the. downwardly and forwardly curved or cammed edges 6 213 of the hooks 70b, the trigger 211 is pushed rearwardly against the tension of the torsion spring 209 so that the trigger will by-pass the hooks 70a. During such movement the shaft of the pivot pin 210 will move out of the offset portion 215 of the kidney shaped slot 214.

Elongation of the slot 214 permits the trigger to move back. However, as soon as the pointed end 216 passes below the hook 70a, torsion spring 209 will again snap the trigger forwardly and the pivot pin 210 will again snap into the offset portions of the slots 114 and then the tacker will again be in the position shown in FIG. 1.

It will now be noted that as the legs of the foremost staple are being bent outwardly, as shown in FIG. 9, the front end of the sliding anvil will remain in contact with the inner surface of front wall 33 of the nose piece. However, as the crown 88 of the staple is moved down against the curved portion 95d of the anvil, said anvil will be cammed or pushed backwards, to compress springs 93. As the lower end of the drive blade 74 passes into contact with the front lower end of curved wall 95d of the blade, said anvil will continue to hold the anvil in retracted or rearwardly pushed position, as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing.

The anvil will remain in retracted poistion as long as the spring 72 is keeping the cup 65 depressed. However, as soon as the handle is depressed for again raising the plunger 65; and the lower end of drive blade 74 raises above the anvil, springs 93 will again project the anvil forwardly to contact wall 33, allowing the staple strip to advance to place the forward staple in the plane of curved edges 95g, so that when the plunger is released, it will descend and the blade will drive the staple.

Means is provided to adjust the curvature of the out wardly bent legs 97 of the driven staple. To this end, side walls 34 of the front nose piece are formed with through holes 250 at the lower front corners thereof, in locations opposed to wings 78b of the side walls 78 of the staple magazine body 76. j 7

Side wall 22 of the body parts 12, are formed with inwardly extending internally threaded short tubes 251 coaxial with openings 250 and of smaller diameter. Screwed in said tubes 251 are set screws 252 which may be of the socket type, to permit a wrench to be inserted through openings 250 for engagement in the sockets of said set screws for tightening or loosening said screws. The screwvs 252 pressing wings 78b, will change or vary the passages through which the legs of the staple pass during the clinching operation, to thereby vary the curvature of the clinched legs.

A usual staple strip pusher (not shown) may he slidahly mounted on the staple magazine. Such pusher may have a usual rear spring catch C, to releasably hold the pusher on the magazine.

It will thus be seen that there is provided on apparatus in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use. I

As possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might :be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A staple machine for staples having a crown from its front end, a camming surface to be engaged by the crown of the driven staple, at the end of the driving operation, to move back said anvil, to allow said crown to by-pass said anvil, and spring means mounted in said magazine in position to be loaded upon movement of said anvil by the crown of the driven staple, for urging said anvil to move back to the position from which it was moved, and adjustable means on the housing to press said portions of the magazine to vary said passages.

2. A staple machine for staples having a crown from which legs extend, said machine comprising a housing, a staple magazine fixed in said housing for carrying a strip of said staples, a fixed front wall at the front end of said housing and magazine, a driving means for driving the foremost staple in said strip, an anvil movably mounted in said magazine, spring means biasing said anvil toward said fixed front wall and said anvil having at its front end outwardly, forwardly and downwardly beveled carnming surfaces, and said magazine having at its front end, outwardly beveled portions extending down to and terminating at the level of the lower ends of said carnrning surfaces and being spaced from and in opposed relation thereto at the same level, and forming passages with said camming surfaces, to cause the legs of a driven staple to be bent outwardly during the driving operation as said legs pass through said passages, said outwardly, forwardly and downwardly beveled camming surfaces of said anvil being engaged by the crown of the driven staple during the driving operation, to move back said anvil against the action of said spring means to allow said crown to by-pass said anvil, said magazine having an underside contacting the work, said anvil comprising a rear shank portion, the underside of which is in a plane disposed above the underside of said magazine in spaced parallel relation thereto, and said front end of said anvil extending down below said shank substantially down to the level of said underside of said magazine.

3. In combination, a staple magazine for staples having a crown from which legs extend, means to press down on the crown of the staple to drive the staple, a staple guide forming a passage for said driver and staple, an anvil slidably mounted in the magazine and having at its front end a pair of oppositely beveled forwardly and downwardly directed camming side edges, spring means to bias the front end of said anvil forwardly to said passage, and means located at the front end of the magazine providing a pair of oppositely beveled camming surfaces outwardly spaced from and forming therewith a pair of oppositely inclined passages through which the legs of said staple pass and are clinched as said staple is being driven by said drive means, and said front end of said anvil having a top forwardly and downwardly beveled surface to be engaged by the crown to retract said anvil against the action of said spring means, as the driver presses the crown of said staple down against said anvil, until said crown is below said anvil, and whereby when said drive means is retracted upwardly above said anvil, said spring means will move said anvil forwardly, said beveled side edges extending downwardly and forwardly, to retain engagement with the legs of said driven staple as said anvil is being retracted until the crown of said driven staple passes beyond said top forwardly and downwardly beveled surface, said magazine comprising a bottom wall, said anvil comprising a rear shank portion above said bottom wall, and said front end of said anvil extending down below said shank, substantially down to the level of the underside of said bottom wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,150,127 3/39 Passek 1-406 2,380,655 7/45 Lang 1-74 X 2,412,620 12/46 Kipp 1-422 2,481,892 9/49 Wampler 1-422 2,671,215 3/54 Abrams 1422 GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A STAPLE MACHINE FOR STAPLES HAVING A CROWN FROM WHICH LEGS EXTEND, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING A HOUSING, A STAPLE MAGAZINE IN SAID HOUSING, A FRONT WALL AT THE FRONT END OF SAID HOUSING AND MAGAZINE, AND ANVIL MOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID MAGAZINE, SAID ANVIL HAVING AT ITS FRONT END, OUTWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY BEVELED CAMMING SURFACES, AND SAID MAGAZINE HAVING AT ITS FRONT END, OUTWARDLY BEVELED PORTIONS SAPCED FROM AND FORMING PASAGES WITH SAID CAMMING SURFACES, TO CAUSE THE LEGS OF A DRIVEN STAPLE TO BE BENT OUTWARDLY DURING THE DRIVING OPERATION AS SAID LEGS PASS THROUGH SAID PASSAGES, AND SAID ANVIL HAVING AT ITS FRONT END, A CAMMING SURFACE TO BE ENGAGED BY THE CROWN OF THE DRIVEN STAPLE AT THE END OF THE DRIVING OPERATION, TO MOVE BACK SAID ANVIL, TO ALLOW SAID CROWN TO BY-PASS SAID ANVIL, AND SPRING MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID MAGAZINE IN POSITION TO BE LOADED UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID ANVIL BY THE CROWN OF THE DRIVEN STAPLE, FOR URGING SAID ANVIL TO MOVE BACK TO THE POSITION FROM WHICH IT WAS MOVED, AND ADJUSTABLE MEANS ON THE HOUSING TO PRESS SAID PORTIONS OF THE MAGAZINE TO VARY SAID PASSAGES. 